Cloverfield is a film in disguise. It is primarily known for the story, which is a creature ripping the living shit out of Manhattan, but it is much more than that. It is a beautiful love story. This is the part where i tell you not to judge it before you see it. Such an event would only create mass hysteria and that is exactly what we are treated to. Friendships will be challenged and normal socialites will be thrown into the middle of a chaotic environment with 0% survival rate.
This film is shown through first person. Rob is a douche bag. We know this. He is a pompous ass living in New York in his flat. He is a recently appointed Vice President of a company and is being sent to Japan. We meet such characters as his best friend Hud, who is a bit slow and brings a lot of humor to the film. Kind of charming actually. Hud is in love with Marlena and to be honest, so am i. Such a sweet pretty girl. I sympathize for her the most.
What starts off as a going away party quickly turns into a nightmarish situation which had me on the edge of my seat. It would be an understatement to say that Cloverfield completely revived the monster genre. First there was King Kong and Godzilla, then their was The Host, and now we are presented with Cloverfield. This film is so far from any normal monster film. We have The Host which was almost similar due to it's original creature design but did bring something new. Family dysfunction. Like this, Cloverfield brings paranoia, love, tragedy, and fear and blends it into a horrific smoothie of a horrifying nature.
Going into the theater today, i didn't know what to expect. Hype definitely is a killer. It cause Snakes on a Plane to bomb and did so also with the American Godzilla. This film delivers all that is promised and more. Chances are that if you do not like the trailers, you wont like the film. You shouldn't even bother. Now being a film about an unstoppable love filmed with an American Eagle cast, we have the second obstacle. The Cloverfield monster. Well, it is truly a sight to behold.
I refuse to give it away. Such fear can only be described in comparison of when we first see the killer shark in JAWS. It is big. It is bad. It has teeth. It has multiple appendages and it bites. Little creatures fall off of its back that resemble the Arachnids in Starship Troopers. Of course, no monster film is complete without it's roar. This one's is ear shattering. Many reviews i have read claimed that it was too noisy or it was just a stupid film. I look at it this way. If you are going to watch a film about a monster destroying a city with military counter-attacks, you'll be sadly mistaken if you think it's going to be a "hush hush" film.
Surrounding the viral marketing, there is two things at hand. One, J.J. Abrams is fucking with us, leading the masses of ignorant people into believing it is Voltron, Cthulu, Dodo, or a Slusho shirt that was a nod to his hit television show "ALIAS". Not many people realize this and they assume too much. Cloverfield is the most over analyzed film since Eraserhead. This film also touches down on political issues, such as all the great monster films of the silver screen and beyond do.
So, we have a blossoming love story surrounded by a sugar coating that is unstoppable and he an incredible appetite for destruction. What can go wrong? Not much. This films final moments are deeply heartbreaking and past that we hear horrifying news and a subliminal scene in the background that might hint where the monster comes from. Whats even more horrifying? The fact that creatures like this could exist in the darkest depths of the sea. Cloverfield is a near perfect film. Think of it as the first Dogme 95 monster film. Lars Von Triers would be proud.
What starts off as a going away party quickly turns into a nightmarish situation which had me on the edge of my seat. It would be an understatement to say that Cloverfield completely revived the monster genre. First there was King Kong and Godzilla, then their was The Host, and now we are presented with Cloverfield. This film is so far from any normal monster film. We have The Host which was almost similar due to it's original creature design but did bring something new. Family dysfunction. Like this, Cloverfield brings paranoia, love, tragedy, and fear and blends it into a horrific smoothie of a horrifying nature.
Going into the theater today, i didn't know what to expect. Hype definitely is a killer. It cause Snakes on a Plane to bomb and did so also with the American Godzilla. This film delivers all that is promised and more. Chances are that if you do not like the trailers, you wont like the film. You shouldn't even bother. Now being a film about an unstoppable love filmed with an American Eagle cast, we have the second obstacle. The Cloverfield monster. Well, it is truly a sight to behold.
I refuse to give it away. Such fear can only be described in comparison of when we first see the killer shark in JAWS. It is big. It is bad. It has teeth. It has multiple appendages and it bites. Little creatures fall off of its back that resemble the Arachnids in Starship Troopers. Of course, no monster film is complete without it's roar. This one's is ear shattering. Many reviews i have read claimed that it was too noisy or it was just a stupid film. I look at it this way. If you are going to watch a film about a monster destroying a city with military counter-attacks, you'll be sadly mistaken if you think it's going to be a "hush hush" film.
Surrounding the viral marketing, there is two things at hand. One, J.J. Abrams is fucking with us, leading the masses of ignorant people into believing it is Voltron, Cthulu, Dodo, or a Slusho shirt that was a nod to his hit television show "ALIAS". Not many people realize this and they assume too much. Cloverfield is the most over analyzed film since Eraserhead. This film also touches down on political issues, such as all the great monster films of the silver screen and beyond do.
So, we have a blossoming love story surrounded by a sugar coating that is unstoppable and he an incredible appetite for destruction. What can go wrong? Not much. This films final moments are deeply heartbreaking and past that we hear horrifying news and a subliminal scene in the background that might hint where the monster comes from. Whats even more horrifying? The fact that creatures like this could exist in the darkest depths of the sea. Cloverfield is a near perfect film. Think of it as the first Dogme 95 monster film. Lars Von Triers would be proud.
-Maq
Dude, I'm serious, in all honesty look into journalism, I'm an English major so I saw flaws in your writing style as a writer, but not as a journalist. You clearly show a good face value style writing. You speak to the reader.
ReplyDeleteNow onto your review, It is truly the 21st century's Godzilla, and will be a classic. It's Blair Witch style camera work shows the realism of the film but it isn't over dramatized (like the afore stated film). I lived in NYC during 9/11, I know what people look like when they panic, and this film portrayed it brilliantly.
the first half hour was a 9/11 re-enactment. Then it became incredibly unbelievable. They climb across a leaning building, and his little gf is still alive? Come on! I have been looking forward to this film for so long, and I wish they came up with a different reason for the characters to go uptown, and leave the crappy love story out of it.
ReplyDeleteI honestly couldn't think of any other reason to go towards the monster than for someone you love.
ReplyDeleteCan you?
"Dude, I'm serious, in all honesty look into journalism, I'm an English major so I saw flaws in your writing style as a writer"
ReplyDeleteUhhh. For an Engrish Maywhore,
you sure don't know much about
repititious wording, or how badly
it's frowned upon.
Anyway. Interesting review. Still haven't seen the movie, but I hopefully will sometime.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletewhy haven`t you reveiwed deep rising on this site?, its arguably the most ludicrously under-rated monster movie of all time, with regards to cloverfield it was good but i think it would have been much better if it had been filmed like a normal mainstream hollywood blockbuster (a-la godzilla also ludicrously under-rated...oh...heather...heather) rather than in the documentary type way that it was.
ReplyDeleteI hate to disagree with you, but I hated this movie. I had no connection to the characters, the monster was odd-looking and there was no common sense.
ReplyDeleteWhy does the thin concrete support the monster's weight? Why does it not attack them when they run by it, but attack them in the helicopter? Why is it completely different looking at the end?
This movie just annoyed me. The hype calling it "Blair Witch meets Godzilla" was right. It took a good idea (Godzilla) and butchered it badly upon delivery (Blair Witch). I usually agree with you, but, damn are you wrong here. Sorry.